Guardian
by Something Vapid
Summary: A common or garden Lightning/Fang romance. True feelings aren't always immediately apparent.
1. Chapter 1

"Too long... she's been gone too long!" At this point, panic had permeated the teen's already fragile voice. The last word cracked at an awkward angle, and the Estheim boy would have winced if his face wasn't already tense with worry. His words resonated all too much in the quiet dusk air.

Oerba dia Vanille placed a motherly arm around the silver-haired adolescent and leaned into him.

"Come on now. You know what Lightning's like. I've lost count of the amount of times she's wandered off on her own. Sometimes she needs to collect her thoughts, or take out her frustrations, or maybe she just needs a private moment..." A nervous giggle followed, but no one else laughed. The giggle faded quickly. Lightning had been gone for four hours now, Vanille acknowledged; it wasn't just that, but the manner of her disappearance that was most concerning. Usually Lightning notified the group of some solitary task that needed doing, or made some sort of dramatic exit. This time she had vanished while on a routine lone foray into a pack of Gorgonopsids in the Eastern Tors. Sazh and Snow had searched the area to no avail. Lightning was gone. And though she was a gifted warrior, the wilderness of Gran Pulse was not forgiving to non-Pulsians. Often Vanille wondered if their de facto leader had any idea of the dangers of the place.

Oerba yun Fang was tired of this passiveness. In fact, she was rather annoyed with the whole deal. Not only was Lightning a difficult character to deal with, more so perhaps than any other woman she'd encountered before, but she was their self-appointed leader! What sort of leader leaves the group for hours at a time? Lightning was assertive, yes, and a decent young warrior, but she was cold, insensitive, and, Fang felt, more than a little arrogant.

"For goodness' sake. Enough. I'll have a look for her," Fang said, irritably. "You two better not have missed anything," she said, glaring in Sazh and Snow's direction. The two men looked up, nonplussed. Before anyone could protest, Fang had leapt away to where Lightning was last seen.

* * *

Frankly, she was glad to be free of the group. Not only did Fang hate standing around, but she couldn't stand the tense atmosphere either. Being with them was suffocating. She had all the time in the world for Vanille, but couldn't bear to see her concerned face because of a certain pink-haired soldier's impulsivity. Snow and Sazh, while good-hearted, were clearly incompetent. And something about the Estheim boy irked her. Fang supposed she could understand now why Lightning often sought her alone time.

Dragging herself from her thoughts, Fang scanned the landscape; the Eastern Tors of the Archylte Steppe. It was a difficult area, but not quite the Northern Highplain, or, Maker forbid, Aggra's Pasture. She would be surprised if Lightning had found any trouble here. The Pulsian native paced around, her emerald eyes surveying the growing darkness for any sign of her quarry. It didn't take her long; a pack of what looked like former Gorgonopsids lay scattered around an enclave surrounded by the mountains. Fang squinted. The terrain was different. Disturbed. It was... a Chocobo trail? Oh Maker! How had Snow and Sazh missed this? In far greater visibility, no less!

'Men,' thought Fang.

Still, Fang couldn't recall Lightning ever riding a Chocobo. While the majority of the creatures were mellow and placid, there were a few specimens that were more... impulsive, and not so considerate of the inexperienced rider. 'Not so different from Lightning', thought the dark-haired warrior. Fang regarded the tracks. A large, lone Chocobo had approached the massacre from the southeast, slowly, then stopped. Lightning had mounted it here. Why? Then - Fang raised an eyebrow, and swallowed in slight concern - a sudden increase in speed, to the north. Large paces, uncertain paces. She followed; at times the Chocobo veered slightly towards the left or right, possibly avoiding a baying fiend. Other times it swerved dangerously close to the nearby Adamantortoise herds. There were struggles at intermittent intervals; she suspected Lightning wasn't in full control of the Chocobo. Yet it continued to advance north; the more it did so, the more concerned Fang became. The paces became faster and faster, to the point where it would be dangerous to dismount. Further north, in leaps and bounds now, in clear panic - possibly being chased - and yet further north, to a sudden stop. Fang looked up. She was at the mountainous entrance to Aggra's Pasture.

"Oh Maker...", she sighed.

Then, a piercing shriek. Fang had never heard Lightning scream before, but there was no doubt that it was her. There was no time to consider or look for help. The hunter expertly ascended the cliffs and dashed through the winding passageways; as she moved towards the source, the cries became more urgent, more pained, and yet weaker. 'Maker knows what she's met at this time of night,' thought Fang. As she arrived to the deceptively leafy clearing of the pasture, she found her answer. A Neochu, with a pack of its offspring. That was a sight she'd observed before, but what she hadn't seen was a single suicidal person attempting to engage the monstrosity. The Neochu was one of the most feared creatures on the entire planet! And Lightning of all people was picking a fight with it. She knew the little miss could be headstrong, but never this foolish. She swore loudly at Lightning; amid the Neochu's roars and the clashing of steel and magic, the soldier glanced towards the hunter.

"Fang!" Such was the venom with which it was uttered, a more reasonable person might have left Lightning to deal with it herself. Fang, however, knew that the soldier was simply embarrassed; she also suspected Lightning had never been so pleased to see her. Despite herself and their situation, a grin eased across Fang's face. She couldn't help but relax and take things less seriously whenever the uptight soldier was around. As she leapt into the fray, Fang's grin faded to a countenance of concern; Lightning was seriously injured, with cuts to her face and arms. They had no chance against the Neochu like this. Fang provoked the brunt of the assault and expertly dodged its offspring's enraged attacks; she struck out with her spear, coaxing squeals of pain from the small yet ferocious creatures.

"Impressed, soldier-girl?" No reply.

"I know you're a quiet one Lightning, but giving me the silent treatment for saving your life is a bit-" Fang took the opportunity to look back at Lightning, who had backed off to recover. No, 'recover' wasn't the word; she was clearly struggling, sheltering under the large Chocobo, frozen in fear, that had somehow avoided injury.

"Fine. Looks like I won't be able to show you how it's done!" Firing off a fire spell at the Neochu and its horde, Fang retreated. Glancing back at the oversized beast, she noted that it appeared to be inhaling heavily, as if ready for an almighty sneeze. With greater urgency, she lifted the frail woman onto the Chocobo and jumped on herself. With an encouraging kick, the Chocobo obediently fled from the pasture, no doubt fearing for its own safety as well. They were lucky the Neochu was as monstrous as it was lumbersome; it stood no chance of keeping up with the flighty Chocobo. There was only an almighty roar and a menacing shaking of the ground just as they reached the plains of the Archylte Steppe.

* * *

Fang considered whether to reprimand Lightning. From her own experience with the soldier's lectures, she knew Lightning wouldn't appreciate one of her own condescending talks right now. She still hadn't spoken since her shouted greeting in the pasture. The soldier's ego was no doubt just as bruised as her body, and she would be tired, unsettled, and rather irritable.

Fang decided she would try a provocative quip. That was until she felt something on her waist; something cold, placing a gentle pressure on her midriff. She looked down. Pale, scratched, yet feminine arms had wrapped themselves around her. Fang felt a wave of sympathy for Lightning. They'd probably been there since she first jumped onto the Chocobo. Now, in the peaceful, fragile darkness of the twilit Steppe, she could appreciate them. It was most out of character, but Fang found that she'd rather not disturb the situation. She dropped the quip, and directed the Chocobo towards a calm pond in the Central Expanse of the Steppe.


	2. Chapter 2

"Urgh!" Another loud groan of pain cut through the cold night air. Lightning couldn't help herself, despite Fang's warnings about the pond not being entirely safe from the attention of a local nasty.

"Oh come on sunshine, I thought you were tougher than this. Anyone who thinks they can take on a Neochu single-handedly ought to have something to show for it."

"Shut up Fang!" Lightning whispered angrily. "One, I thought you were meant to be healing me, not hurting me, and two, I already told you it was an accident that I ended up in one of the most dangerous places on Pulse!"

"Alright, so I'm not the most gifted of healers. This is just what I've picked up from Vanille over the years. And you might not have intended to go all the way to one of the most dangerous places on _Gran_ Pulse" - she said, placing special emphasis on the 'Gran' - "but its no accident that you decided to take on that beast. I'm sorry if this hurts, but I don't think I should be the one apologising here." Lightning failed to take the hint; either that or she ignored it. She settled for glaring at the now tamed Chocobo and snarling every now and then at Fang's healing spells. As the night passed without incident, Lightning above all appreciated a moment of rest, for her hands to rest comfortably on the short grass and to dabble her tired feet in the pond. For a few moments, there was no pressure on her to do anything.

"There, that should be enough for now. Maybe Vanille could take a closer look later, but you were lucky you weren't seriously hurt. I doubt that was because of your own skill though; I just don't think the Neochu took you seriously enough." Lightning took no notice of the taunt and leaned back on the grass, closing her eyes. Fang looked expectantly at her, waiting for a message of thanks. She voiced her expectations, but the soldier kept her eyes and mouth closed.

Frankly, Fang found herself starting to get annoyed with Lightning now. No apology, no thanks, even not calling Gran Pulse by its full name. Fang glared at the resting water on the pond; she watched the fish underneath, wandering around without a care in the world. No L'cie, no Focus, no irritable cow... Whatever goodwill she had felt for Lightning on the Chocobo was rapidly draining away.

"Thank you." Then all the goodwill - and perhaps something else - flooded back.

"You're welcome. Now sorry to disturb you from your beauty sleep, but we shouldn't stay here. The others will be worried sick about us as well."

"Ugh. Can't they wait?"

"No. This is only a temporary shelter. They'll sniff us out soon. I know you're tired, but that just makes it more dangerous."

"I'm not tired."

"Then why are you lying back with your eyes closed?" Lightning got up immediately. Fang smirked and let out a small chuckle as she advanced towards the Chocobo. Fang got to it first and, noting that her companion was still walking gingerly, flourished and stared at Lightning, her smirk wider.

"Would the lady like a leg up?" Lightning responded by almost tripping over; checking herself, she disguised it into a run and leapt on the Chocobo, expectantly waiting for Fang to get on behind her.

"Err, no," said Fang, lifting the smaller woman to the back of the Chocobo, "I don't think that's such a good idea, do you?" Even Lightning couldn't argue with that one.

* * *

Fang guided the Chocobo at a leisurely pace back to the main camp in the Southern Expanse. They were fortunate many of Gran Pulse's more ferocious beasts were not nocturnal. Once again, she refrained from a lecture towards the brooding soldier on how to handle a Chocobo, and rather hoped her expert riding was appreciated as a demonstration. As they passed the remains of the Gorgonopsids, Fang felt she had to interrupt the edgy silence.

"I hope this teaches you how not to go off on your own again. You barely know anything about Gran Pulse; you think some of the nasties you've seen are tough... Well, maybe I should introduce you and the Behemoth King sometime. You two have pretty similar personalities."

"I was doing pretty well until you arrived."

"Whatever you say sunshine." Fang snorted. "What is it with you and your little episodes of solitude anyway?"

"Nothing much. Sometimes I just need to get away from the chatter and the complaining and..."

"And the safety? Need a brush with death to pep you up?"

"Oh geez... I take it I can't go off alone for the rest of my days now."

"No, Light. I just don't want you to go off getting killed. We need you."

"Well... thanks." Lightning yawned.

"I understand what you mean about alone time anyway. Hope annoys me at the best of times."

"Hmm..." Fang got the feeling she was breaching a restricted area at this point and retreated slightly. She could tell Lightning was too close to Hope to appreciate any criticism of him. Glancing back, she noticed the soldier's brilliant blue eyes had dulled, drooping slightly, and weren't looking at anything in particular. Fang's gaze lingered for one second too long before she turned away. For a few minutes the Chocobo trotted in silence, oblivious to its rider's delicate social dance with a stubborn passenger.

"How does night in Gran Pulse compare to Cocoon anyway?" Fang asked, eager to start conversation. There was no reply. Not the silent treatment again... She wasn't _that_ close to Hope was she? But then a pressure fell on her back; Fang twitched and was about to react when she realised it was only Lightning. Slowly checking back, she saw that the young woman had finally fallen asleep. Admiring her for a second, Fang quickly became conscious of the sleeper falling off, and gently placed her hands around her waist like before. She felt how soft Lightning's hands were; not quite what she expected for such an experienced soldier, especially compared to her own battle-hardened ones. Lightning's grip tightened in response, and her head rested on Fang's shoulder. She grinned slightly at the soldier's long, feminine pink hair; no matter how strong the Pulsian winds or how many flips her lithe form performed in battle, somehow it always looked good on her.

A part of Fang wished Lightning was aware of what she was doing. For now she would settle for this close contact, her heart rate quickening slightly whenever Lightning leaned in closer, her chest pressing against Fang's back or when her gentle breathing brushed Fang's skin. She had little time to enjoy it; the base camp was just coming into view. Fang considered a detour, but did not want to worry Vanille any further. The Pulsian smiled at Lightning's comatose form and imagined the group's reactions to her current predicament. The squeals of Vanille, the laughs and taunts of Sazh and Snow, the Estheim boy's annoyed face...

She would spare the soldier's blushes, for now. Reluctantly, Fang decided to wake her. She tenderly lifted Lightning's arms from around her waist and was about to let her head drop when Lightning awoke anyway, and Fang felt the pressure on her back abruptly lift off. The Gran Pulse dawn fell cold again. Fang couldn't help but smile though; as she looked behind her, the soldier's confused surprise and blushing face was a picture she could savour for a while.

"You enjoyed that, didn't you sunshine?" Her answer was a sharp, yet restrained thump in the back. Fang chuckled, and considered what little damage the full force of those soft hands would do.


	3. Chapter 3

"Fang."

"Hm?"

"About last night..."

"Don't worry about it. You were all over me but nothing I couldn't hold off."

"Oh shut up." Lightning said, irritably. Fang couldn't help herself; Lightning set herself up for these far too often for her own good.

A pause. Lightning and Fang were always the first to wake, and without a word had both slunk off to the entrance of Vallis Media for a private conversation. They both knew what they wanted to talk about. The almost psychic connection that worked to such great effect in battle had strayed into their personal interactions as well at this point.

"I just wanted to say..." The soldier paused again. This was really taking her some effort, wasn't it? "...I appreciate what you did. Not just saving me, but also not telling the others the full story. You really spared me there."

"Aye."

"'Aye'? That it?"

"..."

"No sarcastic remark or flirty quip? Well that was... easy."

"Yeah, it was. Was that your way of thanking me? Rather short, if you ask me."

"I... what?"

"Hey, I know you make quite a show of being reserved and all, but I'd at least expect you to mean it after all I did for you last night. Can't I expect a little something extra?" Fang tried to keep a straight face, but seeing the soldier's alarm and horror was too much. She allowed herself a wide grin.

"Oh Light, I'm just teasin'! You're just so easy to wind up!" She struggled to get the last sentence out as she broke out into laughter.

No response, but in her chuckles Fang noted that Lightning inhaled and exhaled deeply, wearily. Was it too soon to place a comforting hand on the shoulder and tell her to relax? Fang pondered.

"What's on the other side of this place?" Too slow. The moment had gone.

"...Yaschas Massif." Fang recovered. "Nice enough area, if you can handle the beasties. Don't know what we'd find there though."

Lightning sighed again.

"Fine. We'll wake the others and check it out. It shouldn't be too far and the monsters might have something we can use."

Fang personally doubted it, but she felt unable to contradict Lightning. Her own affection for her and the soldier's natural leadership skills forestalled her.

"Yeah. Sure. We won't use Chocobos this time though."

"Fang..."

* * *

As she advanced through the scenic passages of Vallis Media, Fang realised she really quite admired Lightning. She had lied to the rest that she would stay at the back and keep an eye out for a particularly feisty Gorgotherian that was known to inhabit the valley. In fact, no such monster existed. Now, strolling leisurely behind the group, she could take in the view, armed with a new understanding of the soldier from last night. Fang hadn't told her, but Vallis Media was a fairly benign area. Even Hope could have taken the lead. But Lightning did anyway. It was natural for her to do so; there existed an unwritten rule that Lightning was a leader. Even on a planet completely unfamiliar to her, where, Fang privately thought, _she_ would be more suited to taking point, Lightning was the natural leader. Fang had to admit that her initial instincts about the soldier had been wrong. What Fang had mistook for impulsivity and a headstrong nature was just a determined stoicness, a natural response to press on despite the hardships they faced.

Fang realised she _really_ admired Lightning. No... she was falling in love with her. Fang's heart skipped a beat at this sudden acknowledgment. Boy, it had been a long time since she'd had _that_ feeling. For the first time since her realisation, and with a cursory check to make sure no one was looking back, Fang considered the soldier's form. She frowned. There was always a heaviness about the girl's lithe frame that she now felt compelled to ease and protect. She thought about asking Snow of how to get Lightning to relax. Actually, that was probably a bad idea. Fang decided she'd play it by ear. In fact, Fang always rather fancied herself as a people person. Then she clattered into something short and soft, knocking it over. It was that buffoon Hope.

"Ugh! Watch it! Useless brat!" Almost as the words left her mouth Fang knew she had been far too harsh. Hope looked up at her with a face awash with sorrow, tinged somewhat with anger and frustration. It wasn't 'brat', or Fang's anger that would hurt him, it was 'useless'. It was an unspoken agreement amongst the group to not mention his battle prowess, which was slightly - no, far - behind that of the others. He was improving, of course, and he was the youngest member of the six, admittedly, but no matter how many reassurances and 'good jobs' he received, Fang knew that Hope was still deeply insecure about his place in the group. Guiltily, Fang couldn't help but steal a glance at Lightning. Her fears were confirmed; the soldier had whirled around and was glaring at Fang as if the words had been directed at her. Time to make a quick apology.

"...uh... I didn't mean that, Hope. Sorry. A lot on my mind." At least the latter part was true. Fang's eyes were locked to the ground sheepishly; she sensed that Sazh and Snow were still staring in abject horror and disgust. No, of course that short apology wouldn't be enough. In fact, was there any point in saying it anyway? Privately, Fang believed that Hope had never taken a liking to her. They'd never had a meaningful conversation and he clearly resented the Pulsian's attempts to engage with Lightning. He clearly wanted her all to himself. Fang also only knocked him further down the combat pecking order, she thought, finally bringing herself to look at him for a response... oh dear. Yes, the boy was about to break into tears. She was gonna get hell from Lightning later. Seeking some support, Fang looked apologetically at Vanille and- yes, she too, was looking at Fang with disappointment. Her countenance was milder at least. In fact, a sheepish grin broke out on one corner of her mouth as a loud sob struck the silence. Fang returned the expression conspiratorially. Vanille covered her growing smile and winked knowingly as she leapt over to Hope to console him. Vanille couldn't-? No. Fang dismissed the thought.

* * *

The Pulsian sighed and stared, bored, at the valley's leafy cliff faces. It seemed that the harder Hope tried to stop crying, the louder and more awkward it got. She could tell he was now deeply ashamed of this show of weakness in front of Lightning. Despite their predicament, despite this pointless interruption, and despite the fact that Lightning's attention was now completely on Hope, Fang couldn't help but register this as a personal victory.

She allowed herself another glance at the soldier. A pang of jealousy immediately struck Fang's chest. Everyone was gathered round Hope, but Lightning was closest, comforting him, kneeling down in front of him, ruffling his hair. Fang thought back to the first time she had seen Lightning openly smile, during another one of Hope's little tragedies. She couldn't quite savour then how pretty it was because of who it was directed at. No doubt she was blessing him with another one now. Fang turned away. Now she wondered if insulting Hope had been really been worth it.

Her chest ached, frustratedly, her heart pulling this way and that as if trying to undo a troublesome knot but only making it tighter the harder it pulled. It _had_ been a while since she'd felt this way. And she'd sure picked the right girl to fall in love with! Amidst her trepidation, Fang allowed herself an ironic smile as she pondered the absurdity of the situation; stoic, reserved soldier from another world, who quite possibly hates her right now, is secretly in love too. What a love story that would make. Fang sighed heavily at the hopelessness of it all. This really wasn't the time. Another glance at the soldier, still tirelessly restoring Hope's fragile confidence.

No, Fang thought. Since when had she ever been so defeatist, so conflicted? Had she forgotten how hopeless her other predicament was as well? Namely, a Focus on which she had no idea of how to fulfil? Indeed, Fang recalled Lightning's determined nature that she was admiring only a few moments ago. If _she_ ever had doubts, she kept them hidden well inside. Fang decided she'd at least test the waters; heck, the challenge of getting Lightning to open up might even be an enjoyable one. At worst it would be awkward between them for a time before they turned into Cie'th. Renewed, Fang breathed easier and turned around, prepared to offer a sincere, fuller apology to Hope. She stopped before even taking a step. Lightning was advancing on her with a purpose that suggested Fang was a particularly offensive monster. For the first time since they'd met, Fang regarded the soldier with fear.


End file.
